Question

The sum of three consecutive even integers is –78. What are the integers?

Answer 1

You need to write 3 consecutive EVEN numbers using only one variable. multiply by 2 to ensure the numbers are even. Add or subtract  2 to get the next consecutive number.
(2x - 2) , (2x) , (2x + 2)

add them up to equal -78
-78 = (2x-2) + 2x + (2x+2)
-78 = 6x
-78/6 = x
-13 = x

the numbers are:  (2(-13)-2) , 2(-13) , (2(-13)+2) 
-28, -26 , -24